He was born in 1930 in the state of Ohio
and holds a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955. He became a civilian
pilot and worked for NASA. Later, he was selected as an astronaut in 1962.
He participated
in the Gemini program, commanding the Gemini 8 mission, in 1966.
In 1968 he was
appointed commander of the backup crew of Apollo 8 mission.
One year before
the landing he risked his life in a training.
1969 changed his
life: he commanded the Apollo 11 mission who made the historic landing on the
Moon. On the approach to the ground, Armstrong picked up the manual controls of
the LEM called Eagle, and uttered the first words of the mission, became by now
part of history:
"Houston,
Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed".
Out of the Lunar
Module, he was the first man to set foot on the Moon, its footprint is the most
popular in the world. During contact with the selenic ground uttered his most
famous phrase:
"That's one
small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind".
He left NASA in
1970.
From the book Theatrum mundi. Landing on the Moon, p. 49-50. Dedicated to you.
He left all of us
on August 25, 2012. In
circumstances like this we distance ourselves from the debate about the
truthfulness of landing. We pay homage to a record curriculum. Let's go back to
that enchanted night, between 20 and 21 July 1969, the night when humanity,
moved by the charm of progress, felt had to turn our gaze to the sky. It seems
that not a theft has been committed in that night.
Your death takes
away a piece of history, astronomy, a piece of childhood for those who have
dreamed the immensity of the universe and the galactic features.
To Houston we say
"ok Houston, the eagle has soared" and your name will mount in the
firmament.
To you we say
farewell, indeed, see you if there is a place where we meet again.
Source: “La Gazzetta del
Mezzogiorno”, an italian newspaper, August 28, 2012, p. 24.
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